Divided skirt



Nov. 9, 1937. 5, PIERCE 2,098,810

DIVIDED SKIRT Filed May 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 9, 1937UNITED STATES PATENT orricr.

mvnmn sxm'r Selda K. Pierce, Brookline, Mace.

Application May 12, 1937, Serial No. 142,140

3 Claims.

This invention relates to women's garments and pertains moreparticularly to improvements in the manufacture of divided skirts of thegeneral type shown as, culottes. The general purpose of the invention isto provide a divided skirt which afiords to the wearer the ease, comfortand masculine freedom of movement characteristic of the full-cut culotteor of other garments of this general type, while at the same timepresenting the style, neatness and feminine formality of the ordinaryskirt.

To this end, the trunk and crotch portions of my improved garment arefashioned and manufactured in a novel way, so that the trunk or legmembers substantially overlap each other at front and rear, with thecrotch extending in a diagonal direction in contrast to the ordinarystraight front-to-rear direction of prior divided skirts. Thus, thevisible vertical lines of divi-. sion or openings between the trunkportions are aforesaid kick pleats, stitched-down pleats or" tuckspreferably lead upward from the crotch portion ofzthe garment to thewaistband thereof. Hence, when the garment is viewed from either thefront or the rear, it has the appearance of a normal skirt provided witha pair of pleats spaced on opposite sides of the center or median linethereof; and no division between the trunk portions is noticeable whenthe garment is suspended from its waistband vor even when the wearer isstanding. or walking at a normal pace.

A recommended embodiment of my invention is illustrated ii theaccompanying drawings showing a divided skirt fashioned and finished asabove suggested; but it will be understood that this invention is notintended to be restricted to the particularmethods of manufacture or tothe structural details herein described, except as-the novel features ofthe invention are set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

55 Fig. 1 is a front view of my new skirt;-

substantially offset (one in front and the other,

Fig. 2 1: a rear view thereof Figs. 3 and 4 are front and rear views,respectively, of assembled dress patterns which may be used infashioning the skirt.

Fig. 5 shows said patterns opened out, flatwise;

and

Figs. 6 and '7 are diagrammatic sections, taken approximately on lines'6-6 and 1-1, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 6, the upper portion ID of my improvedgarment is formed in the manner of an ordinary skirt, and has awaistband II and a side placket l2 which may be closed by ornamentalbuttons l3 or other fastenings. Darts l4 may be provided at the hipportions, as usual. As indicated above, stitched-down vertical pleats ortucks i5 and l5, l6 and ii are formed at, p the front and rear,respectively. These four pleats may be substantially equidistant fromeach other, and each pair should be substantially at the same distancefrom the imaginary median line of the garment as the other pair, asshown on the drawings.

The lower part of the skirt is divided into a pair of trunk or legportions l1 and I8, as best indicated in Figs. 6 and 7 which show thediagonal direction of the crotch l9, and the relative location of thevisible openings or slits and 20 between said portions at the front andrear of the garment, respectively. The pleated visual effeet along saidslits is produced by the formation of pleats and 25' on the respectiveleg portions, as best shown in Fig. 7, these pleats being a continuationof the tucks l5 and I5 respectively at the upper portion of the garment.

Somewhat similarly, inverted kick pleats 26 and 26' are provided downeach leg portion, as continuations of'the tucks l6 and it, the kickpleats presenting substantially the same visual appearance as the foldedmaterial at the corners 22 and 22' in association with the pleats 25 and25,. at the slits 20 and'20'. It will be understoodthat. the pleats andfolds above described are pressed flat;\ir finishing the. rment, and itwill be appreciated that the f and rear views of the finished; skirt areapproximately the same.

My divided skirt may be madefrom any desired textile or other flexiblemateriaLand may comprise as many individual pieces of material as may benecessary or desirable in fabricating the to the waistband of thegarment, and the latter joining and terminating at the crotch l9, asshown at 3| (Fig.- 6.).

Suitable patterns for making the garment herein described are shown inFigs, 3 to 5, on which the numeral refers to the corresponding parts ofthe finished skirt.

I claim:

1. A divided skirt comprising an upper portion shaped to fit the waistand hips of the wearer, and a pair of depending trunk portions joined atthe crotch of the garment, each of said trunk portions comprising twopieces of material joined by seams extending, respectively, along theside of the garment on the outside of the trunk portion, and along thecenter of the trunk portion at the inside thereof, and said crotchextending in a diagonal direction from front to rear of the garment sothat the trunk portions substantially.

overlap each other, both front and :rear, the visible lines of thedivision therebetween being substantially oiiset from the median line ofthe garment, so that the garment presents the appearance of an ordinaryskirt.

2. A divided skirt comprising an upper portion shaped to fit the waistand hips of the wearer, and a pair of depending trunk portions Joined atthe crotch of the garment, .each of said trunk portions comprising twopieces of material joined by seams extending, respectively, along-theside of the garment on the outside of the trunk portion, and along thecenter of the trunk portion at the inside thereof, and said crotch beingconstructed and arranged to extend in a diagonal direction from front torear of the garment so that the trunk portions substantially overlapeach other both front and rear, the visible lines of .the crotch of thegarment, each of saidtrunk portions comprising two pieces of materialjoined by seams extending, respectively, along the side of the garmenton the outside of the trunk portion, and along the center of the trunkportion at the inside thereof, and said crotch being constructed andarranged to extend in a-diagonal direction from front to rear of thegarment so that the trunk portions substantially overlap each other bothfront and rear, .the visible lines of division between said trunkportions being substantially ofiset from the median line of the garment,each leg portion having a pleat extending along one side of one of saidlines of division and I an inverted pleat spaced from the other line ofdivision, and tuck pleatsleading upwardly from said lines of divisionand from said inverted pleats substantially to the waistband of thegarment, sothat the garment presents the appearance of an ordinary skirthaving a pair of pleats on opposite sides of its median line, both frontand rear.

-SELDA K. PIERCE.

